The Love Script, page 17
Those aren’t Oscars.
Tuck
True
Lamont
The filming will take place in Canada and NZ for a total of six months. The last three months will be here in CA.
Tuck
How does Nevaeh feel about that?
Lamont
She’s happy for me. Said she’d get a passport to visit while I’m on location.
Chris
So you guys will do a long-distance relationship? You don’t think it’s a safe time to part ways?
Lamont
You know, I really like her. I’m hoping the distance won’t be a problem.
Because he wasn’t dating a celebrity, the fears of seeing her on a tabloid magazine cheating on him were nonexistent.
Chris
Kind of sounds unrealistic.
Tuck
Was she truly happy for you? Y’all’ve been dating for what, a month?
Now that he thought about it, she hadn’t seemed all that enthused.
Lamont
Honestly, she sounded down.
Chris
Sounds like you two need to have a conversation.
Tuck
Agreed
Lamont
Great. Now I’m worried.
He slid his phone into his back pocket and headed for Nevaeh’s door to find she was coming down the two front steps.
“Hey, I was going to knock on your door.” He smoothed a hand down his blue polo.
“No worries.” Her full lips curved into a smile. “I was ready to go.”
He couldn’t help but think the smile didn’t quite reach her dark brown eyes. They weren’t twinkling with joy like usual. “Everything okay?”
She nodded.
He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “You look beautiful,” he murmured.
“You don’t have to say that.” She laughed. “My dress isn’t designer.”
She looped her arm through his, so Lamont led them toward the car.
“But you always look beautiful.”
He opened the car door just in time to see Nevaeh roll her eyes. “You don’t have to say that. Besides, if you say it now, how will you react when you see me in my dress for the premiere?”
He peered into her eyes. “Nevaeh, you know I think you’re gorgeous, right?”
“Lamont Booker, you didn’t spare me two glances before I got us in this snafu with the snaparazzi.” She propped her hands on her curvy hips.
He tugged her close. “Listen to me, okay?”
She nodded.
“Yes, the media storm had me taking a closer look, but that’s because I was moving at such a speed I couldn’t appreciate you. Slowing down, getting to know you, shows me more and more that I’m thankful to have you in my life.”
She shook her head, as if trying to loosen thoughts. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He placed a kiss softly against her lips. “I want you to know that I want this relationship to be real.”
“You said that before. But isn’t now a good time to part ways? I mean, the media loves you once again, and you’re going to be traveling.”
His heart clenched, and he battled against a dry mouth to ask the question forming in his mind. “Do you want to part ways?” He wanted to say more. Ask her if her feelings weren’t already involved . . . like his were.
Nevaeh tilted her head back, her gaze roaming his features.
Lord God . . . Lamont didn’t know what else to say. He wanted her to choose him for him, not for his fame and not because she felt she had to.
“I’m good. My career is back on track, and no one is talking about canceling endorsements or removing me from sets. So you don’t have to save me. But if . . .” He stopped.
“But if?” she asked softly.
“If you want to be with me because you like me, and you know I like you, then . . .” The ball was now in her court.
Nevaeh slid her arms around his waist. “Then let’s be together. Not for the press, not for the public, but for us.”
His heart double-timed, and he laid his forehead gently against hers. “For us.” He kissed her gently once, twice, and moaned when she initiated a deeper kiss.
Heat rose quickly, and feelings he wanted to keep tame battled for supremacy. He broke off the kiss and motioned for her to get into the car. “Where it’s safe.”
The sound of her laughter was heady to his senses, and he shook his head. He rounded the car, taking his time until he felt back in control. “Let’s go have fun.” He slid the car into drive and headed down the 405. They had a little way to go to make it to Newport Beach for their cruise.
“How’s your week been?” Maybe if he kept the conversation light, Lamont would forget the feel of Nevaeh in his arms and how right it seemed.
“Let’s not talk about my week. I need a nice outing with my boyfriend to forget about my troubles.”
Troubles? He tapped a mindless rhythm on his pants leg. “If I drop the subject, will you tell me what’s bothering you tomorrow?”
“Do I have to?”
He chuckled at the petulant tone. “Please. I want to know what’s bothering you. I’m here for good times and bad.” History had taught him if a couple could work through trials together, then they were more successful. Granted, Diva had always been the cause of his trouble because she craved the spotlight.
Maybe he needed to pray that God would get through to her. He knew from firsthand experience that wanting that kind of attention stemmed from a warped view—the world’s view, not God’s.
“Is that a vow? Sounds like one,” Nevaeh quipped.
“More like a promise. Besides, we’ve only been dating a month.”
“Okay. I will tomorrow.”
He nodded, gripping the steering wheel. “Then we’ll enjoy today.” When he got a moment, he’d pray for whatever she was going through and that she would feel comfortable talking to him.
“Have you ever been whale watching before?” she asked.
“No. Have you?” He reached over the console and cupped her hand, rubbing his thumb across her smooth skin.
“No. There weren’t a lot of things I did growing up. My parents were always super focused during the school year.”
“What about during the summer?”
“In the summer, we would go to Disneyland. Dad got season passes as a work bonus.”
Ah, so that’s the reason she’d suggested it the other day. “Did you go every summer?”
“We did. Now it feels weird if I let the summer go by and don’t go. What about you? Did you have any summer traditions with Ms. Rosie?”
Lamont thought about it. “Well, before I was discovered, my mom would take me up and down the state visiting different cities. We went to Santa Cruz one year, San Jose the next.” Life had definitely been simpler. His mom had been healthy, and Lamont had no worries. “Money was tight, so we stayed at the cheapest hotels available and drove in a beat-up car that didn’t have AC.” He glanced at Nevaeh.
She gave a shudder. “That’s rough.”
“Maybe so, but we made so many good memories. Mom told me once that she felt the need to make up for the fact that my dad had died so early.”
Nevaeh held his hand. “Your mother’s a great woman.”
“She’s the best. When I found out she had cancer . . .” He swallowed. “I’ve never been so thankful that I had so much money. I hoped if I threw enough money at the situation and prayed the rest of the time, that she would survive. But there was enough doubt in me to worry I’d turn out to be wrong.” Now he didn’t feel calm unless he saw his mother glowing with health and wearing a smile on her face.
That’s not your job.
Chills covered the nape of his neck. The words hadn’t been audible, but it was like his soul felt them. Was God trying to tell him something?
“I can’t imagine how hard that must have been,” Nevaeh said. “When she had that upset stomach, my first thought was the cancer had returned.”
He nodded. “That’s always mine too. She keeps trying to tell me to shake off the fear, but I’m not sure it’ll ever go away. If it weren’t for my faith, I would’ve lost hope the moment they gave her the diagnosis.”
“Then maybe that’s why God saved you when He did. He knew you’d need Him.”
Lamont’s mouth dropped. “Wow. I never looked at it like that.” He squeezed her fingers. “Thank you for a different perspective.”
They continued talking as they drove toward the harbor. Lamont shared about how he’d been a scrawny kid until his freshman year of high school, when he’d practically sprouted overnight. What it had been like to work on Broadway, and how much he loved being an actor. Nevaeh in turn talked about her high school years, meeting her current roommate in college, and her first on-set position.
Lamont thanked God for the great conversation. How easy it was for them to switch to different topics as they got to know each other. There were no cameras, no journalists, just the crew running the boat. Nevaeh took plenty of pictures of the whales—videos too—and they got the crew to take some pics of them as a couple.
He immediately changed the wallpaper on his phone to one. Being out on the ocean with a woman he admired made him think of his mother’s warning to take a true rest. Because right now he felt completely carefree. He didn’t even feel the pressing need to text his mother and make sure she was enjoying her day.
He hugged Nevaeh close as they stared out over the water. “This was a perfect plan.”
She snuggled into him, and he tightened his arms around her, placing his cheek next to hers.
“I agree. Nothing could get better than this.”
Lamont smiled and prayed that God would bless their relationship and do something exceedingly and abundantly better than this current moment.
Twenty-Three
After such a lovely day surfing the Pacific with Lamont—I definitely had an inner meltdown at the sight of the yacht—I thought my sleep would continue the theme of perfection. No such luck. Last night had found me tossing back and forth, and now my nightgown clung to me.
Didn’t take a psychologist to decipher my dream—or was it a nightmare? I had married Lamont, lost excessive weight, and become a person I hadn’t recognized. Was it foreshadowing, or too much worrying during the day disrupting my sleep?
I threw back the covers and shuffled toward the bathroom. Hopefully Nora wasn’t in there. I really needed the shower spray to wash away my unease.
“Nevaeh.”
I jumped backward, stumbling into my open door. Nora stood in the hallway, facing me as if she’d just left the kitchen.
“Morning,” I mumbled.
She pursed her lips. “Can we talk, or are you about to do something?”
Shower and look presentable. But apparently that would have to wait. “What’s up?”
Nora motioned for me to follow her into the living room. We both sat.
She tapped her fingertips together. “I think we need to talk about the paparazzi situation.”
“Are they outside again?” They hadn’t been around when Lamont picked me up yesterday morning. Then again, we had left pretty early. Maybe the buzzards weren’t the type to scour after worms.
“No. I haven’t seen them since Mrs. Hazelton drove them off yesterday evening.”
I groaned. “They were here?”
Nora nodded. “Mrs. Hazelton probably made the news, or if she didn’t, it was because they were too embarrassed to be outdone by a geriatric.”
God bless her. I’d have to remember to stop by her place soon and hang out for a bit. She deserved an in-person thank-you and maybe even a little treat baked by my own hands.
“If they’re not here now, what’s the problem?” I asked. Nora always had something to complain about. Not that I could blame her in this instance. I was mortified they knew where I lived.
“I keep wondering what we’ll do if it happens again.”
Same. “I suppose we’ll deal with it then.” Lord, please let them give up.
“What if they come back today? The next day? Then what?”
I bit back a sigh. “Is there a point you’re trying to get to?” A scalding shower was in my immediate future, and I didn’t want to sit here feeling worse than I already did.
“I want an exclusive.”
“Excuse me?” Her words weren’t making any kind of sense.
“I’ve been giving it some thought. The next time paparazzi show up, I can go out and talk to them as your roommate. I’ve known you for ten years. I can be the source that’s close to you, but obviously they can use my name.” She grinned. “Once they get their story, I’m sure they’ll leave. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to be on the news, which is truly a win-win for everyone.”
I would not cry at her complete selfishness and lack of respect for my privacy. My arms folded on their own accord, barricading my heart. “No.”
“But why?” she whined. “First, you said no to the Sands of Time charity event, now you’re saying no to an exclusive?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Next you’ll be telling me I’m not invited to Lamont’s premiere.”
“Why would you be?” I held up my hand, shaking my head in tandem. “Wait a minute. Let’s go through your list. I have nothing to say to the paparazzi. I’ve already been interviewed by Luminary, and that was enough. I don’t have to give them every single detail of my life.”
“Which is why I can do it.” Nora placed a hand on her chest. “It spares you the limelight, since I know that’s not your thing, and will up my who’s who power for future auditions.”
Ugh. Just ugh. I’d never fooled myself into believing we were BFFs or even good enough friends to really hang out with each other, but I certainly never believed she’d be so quick to use me either.
“My answer remains a no.”
“You are so selfish.”
I laughed. Was she serious?
“If you don’t say yes, then you can’t live here.” Her eyes narrowed.
My body flushed hot. “Come on, Nora. You’re not really serious.”
“I am. I want my name in the spotlight. It’s not right that yours is when you don’t even want to be a star.” She snorted. “Correction: You’d never be star material. Let those of us who shine brightly do so.”
“So your real issue is this”—I twirled my finger in the air—“isn’t about you?”
“It’s all of it. You don’t wear the right clothes. You’re always doing something weird to your hair instead of styling it on trend. You’re so hopeless. Can’t you tell by the criticizing comments you’ve received? I mean, some of them are trying to be helpful.”
Right, telling me to call Jenny or sign up for Noom was so helpful. For all they knew I could have a health condition giving me generous curves, though genetic coding didn’t seem to be a disease, more a way of life. No pun intended.
“You do realize I dress for work half the time, right?” Just not today thanks to Monica’s forced vacay.
You asked for time off. Yeah, but stalling was one of my skillful tactics. Too bad it wasn’t working on Nora. She was showing more and more of her altruistic side—insert heavy dose of sarcasm. I no longer wanted to be associated with her.
She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “Why are you working when you’re dating Lamont Booker? Seriously, we could be living in a better place than we are now.”
“This conversation is over.” I walked into the bathroom and slammed the door, my temper barely under a boil. Who did she think she was?
“I want your answer by tomorrow!” she shouted through the door.
I stepped closer to the door so she’d hear me. “But we’ve been roommates forever.”
“And we can continue to be if you accept my terms.”
Tears welled in my eyes. Great. I turned on the water to accompany the liquid running down my cheeks and drown out anything else Nora would say. At least she wouldn’t see me lose my composure.
By the time I dressed for church—a nondesigner maxi dress without my shapewear—my makeup had been applied and all evidence of any crying jags had been artfully concealed. I waltzed through the house like I didn’t have a care in the world and purposely ignored Nora.
My cell pinged just as I reached for the knob. I pulled it out of my purse in case Lamont was running late.
Lamont
Photogs outside. Act cool when I knock on the door, and I’ll get you safely to the car.
My stomach clenched, and I waited for a knock. When it came, I straightened my spine before opening the door. Lord, please let don’t them follow us. I couldn’t believe they were really out here on a Sunday. Didn’t they have their own relaxation plans?
Lamont wrapped his arm around me, tucking me into his side. Questions blasted us from all around.
“Lamont, over here!”
“Nevaeh, how do your parents feel about your relationship?”
“Lamont, do you plan on proposing anytime soon?”
Lamont’s strides never ceased nor faltered. He guided me right into the safety of his car. It was minutes after we left the flashing lights behind that he spoke in the stifling silence.
“How long has that been going on?” His voice was low, dangerous sounding, even.
“Off and on.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
No sense in both of us having bad days. I shrugged. “You were excited about your offer.”
“They’ve been coming around since then?”
I blew out a breath. “I hoped they were no longer an issue, though Mrs. Hazelton had to send them packing last night. I didn’t tell you because I . . .” My voice wavered.
“You what?” he asked softly.
“I just didn’t want to bother you. You were so happy about the offer, and then when we saw each other again it was to go whale watching, and I didn’t want any bad news to ruin the moment.”
“You know what concerns you concerns me, right?” He glanced at me, reaching for my hand to interlace our fingers.
“I appreciate that, but what can you do?”
“For starters, I’ve got Kyle looking into the situation. Believe me, I will do something about their trespassing.”
Would that get them to leave The Mane Do alone? Not that the paparazzi were ultimately responsible for keeping me away from the salon. “If you think it’ll work.”
